Edwin Philip Lyndon

Edwin was a very young soldier.  He was born in the early months of 1900, in Probus.  His parents were Robert Lyndon, a 39 year old farm hand, who was born not far away in Ruanlanihorne.  His mother Sally was from Tregony.  A year after Edwin’s birth, they were living at “Killiow” in Tregony.  During the war years they had returned to Probus and were living at “Freewater.”  This couple had, by late 1916 already lost one son: Henry, Edwin’s elder brother.  Henry had been killed in November 1916, aged 29, with the 8th Bn Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.  Despite this, Edwin must have enlisted as soon as he was able.

 

No service records survive for Edwin.  Given his age we can assume he enlisted sometime in 1917, in time for the final battles of the First World War. 

 

The Battle of Selle, 17th - 25th October 1918

 

By late 1918, the German forces were spent.  Their army had suffered huge losses during their major offensive, began in the spring of that year.  They were exhausted, falling back... but, still however, with some fight left in them. 

 

This battle was the final advance through the Picardy area of Northern France.  The troops employed were those from the UK and her Dominions: New Zealand, South Africa and Canada, nations who had stood with Great Britain since 1914.  After the success of the Battle of Cambrai, the Allies had advanced two miles, a great distance compared with the deadlocked stalemate of the previous years.  But German resistance continued north east of Cambrai.  They had taken up a position east of the Selle River.  The Allies would need to cross a river, climb an embankment and a ridge above that again.

 

Six days of preparation followed.  On the 17th October the British opened a creeping barrage that preceded the infantry and tanks.  The British 4th Army attacked at 5.20am.  Initially the resistance was strong, and there was a great deal of uncut wire.  The advance which covered a 10 mile front, steadily overcame resistance to force the Germans back to the Sambre-Orse Canal by the 26th. 

 

The part the 1st Hampshire Regiment played: the capture of Monchaux

 

The day before the battle, the Hampshires were waiting at Haspres, on the River Selle, listening to heavy gun fire that rumbled on all day and night. They were assembled by 11pm on the 23rd, ready for the advance at 4.00am in the morning.  Their goal was the village of Monchaux-sur-Ecaillion.

The commander of the 1st Hampshires, Lieut Col. F.W. Earle, assessed the bridges built to cross the river as “absolutely worthless.”  Therefore under cover of the 18 pounder guns’ barrage, the right hand companies of the battalion waded shoulder high through the waters to the other side. Gaining the far bank, the left hand companies followed their example.  Progress was relatively rapid, and prisoners began to be taken and sent back.  However, they were held up outside Monchaux itself. 

 

A small group of men from Edwin’s battalion soon distinguished themselves; led by two very young officers, Lieutenants Rayne and Kelly, about ten soldiers followed to work their way down the left bank of the River Ecaillion, and crept into the village that way.  They entered a barn, and made four Germans prisoners.  One was an officer, who had a little English.  They persuaded him, we know not how, to encourage 100 other German soldiers to surrender. They were marched off to the rear. 

 

By 10am that morning, all objectives had been taken.  The Royal Engineers were sent in to build better bridges, and the Tunnelling Companies to examine the houses and their cellars.  By First World War standards, this was an easy victory.  The position the Germans held was a strong one, behind the river and embankment, with a wide field of fire.   By the same token, casualties were light for the 1st Hampshires: 4 officers wounded; 13 men of other ranks had been killed, and 41 were wounded. Four men remained missing. 

 

So close to the end of the war, and in such a short encounter, it’s tragic that the 18 year old Private Edwin Lyndon should have been one of those killed. And another Probus family was to lose not one, but two, sons.   

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Researched and written by Stephen Jackson.